


Chores

by Evil_Little_Dog



Series: Scraps [3]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Gift Fic, Implied Relationships, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-02
Updated: 2012-07-02
Packaged: 2017-11-09 00:11:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/449082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Little_Dog/pseuds/Evil_Little_Dog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary:  Ed and Winry do laundry. Sort of. <br/>Disclaimer: Sekritly, I dress in a cow suit and perform manga at night…only kidding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chores

It had been three weeks and Ed was still hanging around. Winry wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Since that first night on the roof and his explanations, Ed seemed to be doing his best to be helpful but not push, and to stay out of the way when necessary. He was doing the dishes and sweeping the floors; helping with the cooking and running errands. Paninya, Ed and she had painted the entire building, not to mention touched up the sign above the door. Ed had wanted to add some ‘bad-ass dragons or snakes’ but Mr. Garfiel overruled him, saying he wanted the flower to remain. Rolling his eyes, Ed hadn’t said anything more about it but Winry’d caught his calculating expression more than once and knew that, one day soon, Garfiel Attelier might suddenly grow a gargoyle on the roof or something equally hideous.

This morning, Winry had announced it was laundry day and Ed had helped her strip the beds and gather up everything to take to the Xingese laundry shop Mr. Garfiel used. Ed lugged one of the heavy baskets without complaint. His bare shoulders and left arm still peeling from the sunburn he’d gotten from painting and his nose was still pink. “You should’ve worn a hat,” Winry told him, shooting him a glance out from under the brim of her own.

As if her comment reminded him, Ed shifted the weight of his basket so he could rub his nose, skin flaking off. Making a face, he shook his hand, wiping it on his cargo pants before grabbing the basket with both hands again. “Eh.”

“You could’ve gotten sun poisoning.”

He rolled his eyes. “You didn’t say that when I was helping you paint.”

“I didn’t think about it then. I’m thinking about it now.” Winry decided to let it go, not wanting to walk into Madame Won’s arguing with Ed.

Madame Won herself was there to greet them as they came through the door, her black eyes nearly disappearing in the mass of wrinkles around them as she smiled. Her face, as always, reminded Winry of a wizened apple, except for the bright white teeth that showed when she grinned. “Winree,” Madame Won sang, drawing out her name. “It is always good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you, too, Madame Won,” Winry said as she maneuvered into the shop with its smells of soap and water and dirty clothes.

Huu appeared out of the back of the shop like a magician, his face wreathed in smiles, shaking his long bangs out of his eyes. Winry realized his braid was nearly as long as Ed’s and wondered how she’d managed to miss noticing it before. Huu wiped his hands on a towel thrown over his shoulder, reaching out to her. “Let me take that.” Catching the basket, he lifted it out of her hands over her protest. “You should’ve called. I would’ve come to help you bring the laundry over.” Despite the weight of the basket, he tossed it onto the counter.

“She already has a pack mule.” Ed set his basket next to hers on the counter, fixing Huu with a flat stare.

“Oh, are you Winree’s brother?” Madame Won looked over Ed curiously and Winry had to hide a snicker at the thought that the tiny woman barely came up to Ed’s collarbone.

“You never mentioned a brother.” Huu lounged back against the counter, already dismissing Ed to turn a charming smile Winry’s way.

“No, no.” Winry raised her hands, forestalling any more wild questions and hopefully an explosion from Ed. “Ed’s a,” she hesitated for a bare second, a thousand words running through her head, “friend,” she settled on, “we grew up together.”

Huu’s eyes narrowed as Madame Won’s eyes widened, her mouth making a perfect little ‘o’. “You are Edward Elric!” She took a step toward him, her hands outstretched.

Turning away from Huu, the only sign of Ed’s surprise was the tilt of his eyebrows. Instead, to Winry’s shock, he bowed, saying something in the sing-song language Winry had often heard in the laundry.

Madame Won smiled, bowing back, answering Ed in the same tongue. The continued talking while Huu, making a “Tch!” sound, wrote up the receipt for the laundry. “He’s really Edward Elric?”

Wondering how they knew about him, Winry nodded.

Huu went on, “They say he saved the Xingese Emperor’s life.” The look Huu gave Ed was one Winry couldn’t quite decipher.

“Ling, you mean?” She fell back on politeness, startled when Huu gave her the same look, though it morphed into surprise. Shrugging, Winry said, “We met Ling here in Rush Valley, Ed, his brother, Al and me. We took Ling with us to Central City when we went.” She didn’t know all the story of what happened after, just piecemeal bits. Ed saving Ling’s life wouldn’t surprise her. Huu’s expression did, though, and Winry wished she knew what it meant.

“He is a very brave man,” Huu said finally, a grudging tone to his voice.

“And so young and handsome,” Madame Won added, somehow overhearing their conversation despite the one she was having with Ed. She reached up to pinch his cheek. “Not what I expected.” Stopping at Winry’s side, Madame Won patted her shoulder. “You make sure he takes good care of you, Winree.”

Ed coughed, the sound of his shoe scraping over the flooring making all eyes turn his way. “It’s the other way around, Madame Won.” His gaze rose to meet Winry’s. “But I want to try to fix that.”

The air in the laundry shop seemed suddenly charged with electricity and Winry wondered why she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. The sound of ripping paper broke the moment. “Here’s your receipt, Winry,” Huu said, though the attention was riveted on Ed.

“Thanks, Huu.” She stuffed the paper in the pocket of her coveralls as Ed said something in Xingese to Madame Won, nodding his head. Afterward, they walked outside into the blazing sun, both of them squinting automatically at the brilliance. Winry shot glances at Ed while they walked, finally grabbing his ponytail and yanking it.

“Ow! What the hell, woman?” Ed glared at her, stopped in his tracks.

“What was all that about?” She realized she hadn’t let go of his braid, using it to gesture back toward the laundry. Come to think of it, Huu had a really long braid, too. Maybe it wasn’t so much to prove manliness as to give women a leash.

“All what?” He jerked like a restive horse.

“All that talking in Xing.” Letting go of Ed’s hair, Winry put her fists on her hips.

Ed growled back, “I was just asking Madame Won where I could get some good Xing food.”

“That wasn’t all of it. Huu said you saved Ling’s life.” She punctuated the last three words with a stab of her forefinger in Ed’s chest. Fighting in the streets was childish but Ed just brought it out in her.

“That was…” Sighing, Ed shook his head. “Can we talk about this later, Winry?” Expression softening, he said, “Madame Won gave me the name of a good Xingese restaurant and I want some pressed chicken.” He gave her a pleading look, his stomach growling as of on cue. Clutching at it, he begged, “Please?”

Letting loose a grudging, exaggerated sigh, Winry nodded, albeit reluctantly.

Ed’s answering grin was brighter than the sun. “C’mon.” He offered her his hand. “I’m hungry.” When she didn’t take his hand, his smile dimmed and he started to move away, his elbow bending so he could shove his hand in his pocket.

Winry caught his braid again, giving it a twitch, making Ed turn around. He gave her a questioning look as she let go of his hair, taking his wrist to slide her hand down to take his. _Dammit,_ she realized as Ed’s smile blossomed at her touch. _I could be falling in love with him again._


End file.
